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Property broker Christie & Co has said the profile of pharmacy businesses coming to market has changed, with fewer “low-value corporate disposals” and an increase in average sale values. 

In its 2026 business outlook, the broker said this trend, observed over the course of 2025, saw average prices achieved rise by 4.1 per cent compared to the previous year. 

This followed a 6.3 per cent year-on-year decline in 2024.  

In 2025, it advised on, valued or sold 1,155 pharmacies with a total value of £869m, it said, with 30 per cent of transactions involving sales to first-time buyers. 

“The funding announcement in March 2025 injected some much-needed income into pharmacy operations and has gone some way to help stabilise goodwill values,” Christie & Co commented.

A third of pharmacy professionals surveyed by the broker said they have a positive outlook for the sector in 2026, with 44 per cent having a negative outlook and 23 per cent a neutral one. 

The broker predicted that 2026 will see “continued rationalisation of non-performing corporate assets,” higher demand among the public for private pharmacy services and the continuation of cost pressures as a “key issue” for the community pharmacy sector. 

It anticipated that there will be a number of “bank-driven or administrator-led sales” and that “opportunities will remain for agile and forward-thinking operators”. 

“As we begin 2026, there is cautious optimism that the sector is finally being recognised for its critical role in delivering accessible, community-based healthcare,” commented Jonathan Board, director for pharmacy at Christie & Co. 

He added: “The challenge now lies in ensuring that this momentum is sustained and translated into long-term structural support for pharmacy teams across the UK.”